"This will become an internationally recognized institute that promotes and seeks to protect human rights from the local to the international level," UAB Provost Linda Lucas said earlier this week.

The Magic City has a lot to offer to the study of human rights internationally, according to Palazzo. "We have learned a lot of lessons in Birmingham," he said. "We have had a lot of conversations about civil and human rights."

50 Years Forward... and beyond

The inspiration for the Institute came in the wake of City of Birmingham's "50 Years Forward" celebration of the crucial Civil Rights year of 1963, according to Palazzo.

CAS was heavily involved in that commemoration, offering lectures, art exhibits, and many other events, according to Palazzo, who said that there was a lot of discussion among faculty and department chairs about finding a way to continue to highlight civil and human rights.

"That's when I started to propose that we need to extend the conversation from the issue of civil rights -- which are important -- to the issue of human rights more generally," Palazzo said. "This fits into our strategic plan, which is based on globalization and on elevating the appreciation of Birmingham and UAB internationally."

The Institute is a way to "develop a platform that extends that conversation, that engages international figures, promotes our own thinking and culture in the city while integrating us with important issues internationally with human rights as the ringing bell," Palazzo said.

How the Institute came to be

Palazzo helped create the original drafts of a proposal for the Institute with Wendy Gunther-Canada, chair of the Department of Government, and John Sloan, chair of the Department of Justice Sciences.

They also worked closely with Kathryn Morgan, the director of the African-American studies program, and Douglas Fry, the chair of the Department of Anthropology.

The Institute is now operating, with a home base at the Dean's Office in Heritage Hall, where Fry, Sloan and Gunther also have offices, according to Palazzo.

The Institute is already booking engagements by speakers, according to Palazzo. "The Dalai Lama will be (in Birmingham) in October, and we are considering other speakers related to that," he said.

In addition to speakers, the Institute will look to help promote cultural events on campus – including music and visual arts – that foster great greater knowledge and understanding between different cultures, according to Palazzo.

"The better we understand each other in a multi-cultural environment, the more likely we are to come together and find common ground on issues that affect us all," he said.

The future

Palazzo said discussions are being held now about hiring a permanent director for the Institute and other administrative concerns. "We want a governance structure over this and we want to decide the qualifications of the director," he said.

In keeping with the international focus of the Institute, the search for a director will likely be international, as well, according to Palazzo. "There are so many issues of human rights beyond our borders," he said. "We will look for international competence and credibility."

"I don't see this as UAB alone," he said. "Birmingham is the platform for the discussion, and we want to engage internationally with other similar groups and institutions involved with human rights."

The Institute will eventually have a permanent home, possibly in a new academic building that CAS is now proposing, according to Palazzo.

A center for "convergence"

Officials expect wide participation in the Institute, according to Palazzo. "The institute will be a convergence center for all interested faculty and students from across the entire university," he said. "The scale is thus pan-university in expected participants."